"If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land;"
{Isaiah 1:19} (NIV)
There is such a thing as obedience without willingness. The little girl standing in the corner says to her mom, “I may be standing up on the outside, but I am sitting down on the inside.” Obedience can be forced and coerced out of us, and if that is how we live our Christian life, we have missed the message of the gospel and the specific message of this verse.
Obedience without willingness is useless in our approach to God. It can work when we approach people that way, but God, who sees our hearts, knows better. I tend to think that obedience without willingness is better than disobedience (my kids will testify that I believe this), simply because we are spared the pain and consequences of sin. However, a person could make the biblical case that this type of obedience causes our love to grow cold, and becomes legalism and a deadly trap. God requires willingness with obedience.
My paraphrase would read, “If you are willing and then obedient, then you will be in the good, pleasing and perfect will of God.” In order for me to be willing to be obedient, I must believe that God’s commands are good for me and my loved ones. I must also believe that God has the best of intentions towards me. Most importantly of all, I must trust that the Lord knows what I need to do in every situation, better than I know.
Oh Father, please help me to obey You willingly this day.
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